How To: Dehydrate Strawberries
Dehydrated strawberries are an easy, healthy treat. Give your berries a quick wash, slice and dehydrate to preserve their freshness for months to come.
Ingredients
- strawberries as desired
Instructions
- Prepare strawberries for dehydrating by washing them carefully in a sink of cold water with a splash of vinegar. Rinse the berries when they come out of the sink, and allow them to dry completely as excess moisture will prolong the drying time.
- Cut off the tops of the berries, if there is any green stem left in the strawberry use a pairing knife to cut it out.
- Slice the strawberries into 1/4" slices, using either a sharp pairing knife or a mandolin slicer.
- Spread the slices on a dehydrator tray, leaving gaps between the fruit to improve airflow.
- Dehydrate the strawberry slices at 135f for 8-10 hours, or until they are leathery and crisp. To check the doneness of the berries, remove one or two slices from the dehydrator and allow them to cool. Once cooled, slice them or break them down the middle, if any moisture is present, they must be dehydrated longer. The strawberries should be leathery and somewhat pliable. It is better for the berries to be too dry than not dry enough and risk spoilage.
- Once the strawberries are done, allow them to cool on the dehydrator trays for 30-45 minutes.
- Transfer your berries to a sterilized airtight container for storage.
Notes
No dehydrator?
To dehydrate your berries in the oven, prepare baking sheets by lining with parchment paper, and lay the sliced berries on the parchment paper. Bake them in the oven at 170f for 2-3 hours, until the tops are dry to the touch, then flip them over and continue to bake until they are completely dried using the test in the recipe card.Storage
In order to prolong their shelf life, I recommend storing your dehydrated berries in a sterilized airtight container, like a mason jar. The jar should be kept in a cool dark place without temperature fluctuations, as flux in temperature can create condensation in your jars and premature spoilage.how to use dehydrated strawberries
There's a lot of fun ways to use your dehydrated strawberries! Add them to:- salads
- trail mix
- cereal
- yogurt
- homemade granola bars
- flavour icing
- make strawberry cupcakes
- stir into milk for strawberry flavoured milk or milkshakes
- blend into smoothies
